Here is your news for May 11th, 2020 - Against Whom Will Otis Cash In His Money In The Bank Briefcase? Booker T On His Comeback Plans 2 00:00:03,169 --> 00:00:07,607 We’re kicking off today with huge news from WWE’s crowd less shows, as the
company has been trying to find some answers about how to get the fans to tune in.
Fans haven’t been allowed in WWE since the March 13th edition of SmackDown,
and in a recent WWE Fan Council Survey, the company questioned how their
audience’s viewing habits have been affected by the current situation.
In addition to asking fans what parts of the show are the best and worst, as well as
which Superstars they want to see more or less of, the company also offered a list
of possible ideas they might implement, to gauge whether fans in favour or against them.
Interestingly, one option the company put forth was using other wrestlers in the
crowd, as this could be a temporarily solution to the crowd less shows.
Other options fans can vote on include having matches occur outside the arena,
having more championship or stipulation matches, and even if the company
should bring in more celebrities to their programming.
Clearly, the WWE is trying to figure out a solution to their current problem, and it
certainly makes sense to ask the fans themselves, what they want to see.
Although WWE hasn’t featured any live fans in the build toward Money In The
Bank. The big ladder matches were pre-recorded at the WWE Headquarters in
Stamford. It turns out that one fan might have been allowed in.
Superfan Smilez, who is also known as the Green Shirt Guy posted some very
interesting photos. He was sporting a mask and inside the WWE Headquarters.
This post was accompanied by a question asking who fans think is going to win the
big ladder matches this year.
Superfan Smilez got some real attention for these photos. It appears that he was
allowed somewhere that no other fan was permitted.
To everybody surprise, Otis is the winner of the Men’s WWE Money In The Bank
briefcase but don’t bank on him cashing in on Universal Champion Braun Strowman.
During an interview with Digital Spy earlier this week, Otis said that he would be
cashing in on the SmackDown Tag Team Champions.
“If I get the briefcase, we’re challenging for the Tag Team titles,” Otis said.
He added, “I don’t think there’s a rule of what titles to challenge for, so we’re
going to challenge for the Tag Team titles, cash it in and that’s what’s going to
happen… if I can get up that ladder.”
The Money In The Bank ladder matches were taped several weeks ago, which
means Otis already knew he had won when he made that statement.
Unless plans change, it looks like we’ll see Heavy Machinery vs. The New Day for
the titles in the near future.
We’ve got news from WWE’s latest releases next, as though Lio Rush isn’t part of
the WWE anymore, the Man of the Hour reportedly had some big plans before his departure.
Speaking to Fightful, Rush revealed that at one point whilst he was managing
Bobby Lashley, there were plans for him to capture the Intercontinental
Championship, and whilst the title change was planned during Lashley’s feud with
Finn Balor, Rush doesn’t remember why it didn’t pan out.
It wasn’t long after the Balor feud that Lashley and Rush were split, and whilst he
would briefly hold the NXT Cruiserweight title, Rush left WWE on April 15th, never
holding the IC Gold.
From one former WWE Super star to another now, and we’ve got some worrying
news to report, as Alberto Del Rio was ******* recently.
According to a News 4 in San Antonio report, the former World Champion was
******* following an incident on May 3rd, where he allegedly ********ed a female,
causing multiple injuries to her body.
When the victim tried to report this incident to police, Del Rio allegedly slapped
her across the head again before asking what she was doing, and slapped her once again.
The victim told police that the former Superstar forced her to wear a dress and
dance for her, and when she refused, Del Rio allegedly *******ened to take her son
and drop him off in the middle of a road.
After this, Del Rio was taken into custody at 11AM local time on May 9th and was
released that evening on a $5,000 bond.
This isn’t the first time the former WWE Superstar has had a brush with the law, as
he was investigated for Domestic Violence in 2017, and though we should
mention that all ************ are ************ at this time, fans shouldn’t expect Del
Rio in a WWE ring anytime soon, if ever again.
We’re going back in time to Hell in a Cell 2019, a show that will live in the
memories of fans for its truly bizarre ending.
In the main event Hell in a Cell match between then-Universal Champion Seth
Rollins and The Fiend, the match ended via referee stoppage, though many
believed the ref had called for a DQ finish.
Speaking to Talk Sport this week, the Monday Night Messiah admitted feeling like
he was dead in the water after the match, saying:
I was left out there as a bit of a scapegoat in that situation and there was nothing,
I could do about it, but I was the one that had to face the scrutiny. And no one
really cared about me at that point in time, or about how I was feeling or about
what really went into that moment, that night and every thing that went along with it.”
Rollins added that it was the much-maligned match that made him realise changes
had to be made, as Rollins was certainly more unpopular in the feud against
Wyatt, despite being the face at the time.
Given the incredibly loud back lash from fans, it wasn’t long after that Wyatt
gained the title at Crown Jewel, and WWE wisely turned heel shortly after.
We’ve got news from All Elite Wrestling next, as Jim Ross recently spoke about his
relationship with WWE on his Grillin JR podcast.
During a watch-along of the May 23rd, 2005 episode of RAW, an episode that
included Vince McMahon, Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff sharing the ring to hype
to the ECW One Night Stand event, both Ross and Conrad Thompson praised
Vince, with JR saying:
“Vince McMahon was the greatest heel that I ever worked with,” “The greatest pure
heel that I ever worked with. He was the top heel in the Attitude Era, Mr. McMahon.”
The Oklahoma native also had high praise for ECW-alum Tajiri, saying that he
always enjoyed calling his matches and his facial expressions were top-notch,
though when asked why Tajiri didn’t get a bigger push in WWE, JR replied:
“He just wasn’t big enough, he was a cruiserweight,” Ross said. “Vince never saw
big money in cruiserweights.”
The obvious exception to this rule is Rey Mysterio, who in addition to being a
cruiserweight, is also a three- time WWE World Champion and Royal Rumble.
Ross described the masked Superstars as a different breed of cruiserweight, saying:
He had that move set that was absolutely amazing. He was new, he was fresh, he
had a great look. The mask is a big deal for him but Rey Mysterio was a legitimate
star long before [WWE]. He just got better and better
Concluding, JR said that it’s impossible to compare Rey to other cruiserweights
saying” He was a little different breed of cat. You can’t compare Rey Mysterio to all
of the other cruiserweights because he was that much better and on a different
level in my estimation.””
JR Concluded that given Rey’s incredible success as a wrestler, he is a sure shot
future hall of famer
Speaking of legends of this industry, we’ve got news from Booker T next, as the
two-time Hall of Famer has claimed he wants one last match before retiring for good.
Speaking on the Reality of Wrestling Podcast, the five-time WCW World Champion
made it clear he wants a match with Corey Graves, despite the announcer retiring
in 2014 due to injuries. Booker said:
“I want to make a comeback; at 55, I want to be able to go back and finish properly.”
Booker also claimed that he has challenged Graves on multiple occasions in the
past, as a rumoured tension between the two reportedly started when Booker
claimed Graves was the reason, he lost his position on Monday Night RAW.
Booker also added that he isn’t trying to pull an Edge, as he made it clear that if he
was to return, it would be for just one match.
Although though Graves has been officially retired since 2014. the saviour of
misbehaviour recently shared the ring with his brother Sam Adonis earlier this
month, leading to speculation on a possible return to the ring.
The former World Champion also added that he would take on Graves anywhere,
whether it be in the ring or in the streets, so if Graves ever does come out of
retirement, he’s already got a challenger waiting for him.
We’ve got news from Money in the Bank now, as fans caught another glimpse of
the SmackDown hacker.
After the shadowy figure once again said that he sees and hears everyone and
everything, the hacker received an access granted message on their screen
allowing them to watch various clips of WWE Superstars.
The segment ended with the Hacker’s usual message of the truth will be revealed,
the hacker’s identity wasn’t uncovered, as it looks like fans will have to wait even
longer to see who is revealed as the hacker.
Speaking of Money in the Bank, we’re looking at the titular match, as not only did
12 Superstars compete for the men’s and women’s briefcases, but there was
plenty of cameos throughout the main event.
First, fans caught a glimpse of Brother Love leaving the bathroom to greet Rey
Mysterio, before a business- shirt clad Doink decided to make his presence known.
Up next, People Power once again reigned supreme as John Lauriniatis arrived in
catering, only to receive a Pie to the face curtosy of Otis.
When AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan brawled into Mr McMahon’s office, the Boss was
there, and clearly wasn’t happy.
Ordering the pair of former World Champions, McMahon ended his cameo by
sanitizing his hands, showing that even the multi-millionaire knows the
importance of keeping safe in these unprecedented times.
The match didn’t just see these cameos however, as Elias also made his return
during the match, costing King Corbin his chance to capture the coveted men’s briefcase.
With this return, it certainly seems like the feud between Elias and Corbin will
continue, especially after the singing Superstar defeated the King at WrestleMania 36.
One man who also came up short in the Money In the Bank ladder match last
night was Aleister Black, who has opened up about his marriage with Zelina Vega.
Though they may oppose each other on TV, the pair are very closeout of the ring,
and while speaking to the New York Post, the former NXT Champion described
working against his wife on Monday Night RAW. He said:
She’s super professional and I think we’d like to think we’re both really
professionals. It’s just going to work and we play your characters on TV and
however we are in private life is what we are in private life. Once we get to work,
we got to work and it’s go time. For me, it doesn’t do anything specifically. I think
the outside world is more fascinated by the fact that me and my wife are
competing against each other than we are ourselves.
Given that the pair recently started their own YouTube channel, neither Black nor
Vega are keeping their marriage a secret from the fans, and if somebody does
believe the animosity on screen is real, then that’s just proof both performers are
doing their job well.
Back to Money in the Bank, and it was during the show that the WWE confirmed
it’s next Pay Per View will be Backlash, and take place on June 14th.
Though the company announcing their next major event during a Pay Per View is
nothing new, what is notable is that WWE didn’t give a location for the show, and
it’s likely that it’ll take place at the Performance Centre.
In fact, the Wikipedia entry for the upcoming show already lists the location as the
WWE’s Performance Center, and although this hasn’t been confirmed by WWE,
it’s likely that the PC will play host to Backlash, until something huge changes in
the ongoing global situation.
And finally today we’re ending with the results of Money in the Bank, as the show
was a short, unique affair compared to previous years.
After Jeff Hardy defeated Cesaro on the Pre-Show, the New Day retained their
SmackDown tag titles in fatal- four-way action, whilst Bobby Lashley subbed in for
MVP to defeat R-Truth.
Up next, SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley kept her record-long reign going
by defeating Tamina, Braun Strowman retained his Universal title against Bray
Wyatt, and Drew McIntyre silenced the Monday Night Messiah to retain the WWE title.
And in the Main-event, it was Asuka and Otis who walked away with the Money in
the Bank contracts, bringing an end to yet another incredibly unique Pay Per View
that the WWE hosted, without a crowd.
While Otis surprisingly walked out with the briefcase and the tag of Mr. Money in
the Bank, another compelling aspect that we witnessed during the match was King
Corbin taking Aleister Black and Rey Mysterio out of the equation by throwing
them from the roof of the WWE Headquarters. Let’s see what we have in store for
Rey Mysterio and Aliester Black for the future